The Polk Audio PSW125 subwoofer is a good value if you are looking to beef up your home theater's low end. Readily available at major retailers throughout the United States, the PSW125 adds extra punch to your music and seat-shaking rumble to your movies.

The PSW125's cabinet encloses a 12-inch Dynamic Balance composite woofer in a downward-firing position. The vented cabinet has a round, non-removable black steel grill surrounded by a subtle graphite-colored ring. This makes for a somewhat industrial or pro-audio style that might not appeal to everyone, but with this design, there won't be any little hands damaging the speaker cone. The PSW125 weighs in at just over 40 pounds and is available in cherry and black veneer finishes.

The PSW125 features a 150-watt internal amplifier capable of 300 watts of dynamic power, and it provided ample kick throughout our listening tests. The overall frequency response is 32Hz to 225Hz, with a crossover adjustable from 60Hz to 110Hz.

With the multiple connection options Polk has provided, adding the PSW125 to your system is easy. The subwoofer's rear panel includes line-level left-and-right and speaker-level spring-terminal inputs, as well as an unfiltered LFE line-level input. There is also a set of speaker-level spring-terminal outputs. Also on the rear panel is an adjustable low-pass crossover, a phase switch and the volume control. The sub contains automatic on/off circuitry that powers the unit up when it senses a signal.

We found the PSW125 to be a solid performer. For music, we listened to some multichannel audio with a dedicated LFE track that gave the sub quite a workout, and we found it plenty capable of keeping up with demanding drum and rhythm tracks. Standard stereo tracks benefited from the rich, warm low end the PSW125 introduced.

For movies, the PSW125 was able to easily punctuate explosions and car chases, and it shook the floor enough to vibrate the couch during action sequences. Overall, we found the PSW125 to perform well across all of our listening tests.

Polk Audio's reputation for producing quality products at affordable prices is evident in the PSW125. This is an excellent sub for the price, and it will bring some excitement to your home theater. If you have yet to add a subwoofer to your audio system, the Polk Audio PSW125 is well worth your consideration.


Pros:  Solid performance, fair pricing, grill design will protect the driver from little hands
Cons:  Styling may not appeal to everyone

Warranty
3 years, amplifier; 5 years, speaker